The Ongoing Adventures of Commander Data
by P.J. Lowry
Summary: The story of Data's demise onboard the Scimitar were greatly exaggerated, thanks to the efforts of Gomtuu and Tam Elbrun.
1. Chapter 1

"_I'm glad we're together now. Our destiny's complete." _

As Data strolled onto the main bridge of the Scimitar, he discovered that there wasn't a single being left alive. There had been a brutal firefight. Bodies of Reman soldiers littered the floor and Data did a quick scan to see if the Captain was one of them. He was not.

**One minute to firing sequence. **

Data looked over to discover that the main console to see that the weapon was fully charged and preparing to fire. He didn't have a lot of time.

**Thalaron intermix level completed.**

Data looked over his shoulder and up at the level above him. He could see the glowing green light from the room above and it was clear that's where the Thalaron intermix was taking place. The android dashed up the stairs as quickly as he could and when Data entered the room, he could tell there was something wrong.

Picard had just murdered someone. While it was likely in self defense, Data could tell that killing his own clone and the act itself had left his Captain in the state of shock. Picard had been so devastated to what he had just done that he couldn't find the words as he looked over at Data and stared at him with an absent look on his face. It was at this moment that Data was convinced that he had made the right decision. Picard had come onboard to make the ultimate sacrifice for his crew but no longer had the ability to fulfill his duty. The android had come to the conclusion that it was time for him to take over and finish the job.

Data came over to where Picard was standing. The corpse of Shinzon was leaning against the Captain and had a sharp instrument thrust through him. Data grabbed the dead clone and pulled him off the Captain, tossing him aside.

**Thirty seconds to firing sequence. **

The stood there for a few seconds and said nothing. Data reached out and placed the emergency transporter tag on his Captain. As Picard was in the process of being beamed off the ship, Data could see the look of surprise in his face as he discovered that Data was assuming command of his suicide mission. Data stood there with a blank look on his face as the Captain dematerialized into thin air and was gone.

"Good bye." Data said out loud even though the Captain was already gone.

**Ten, nine, eight, seven… **

Time was running out and Data was clear on what had to be done. At this point he had either two choices: take out the ship and himself or watch the Enterprise and those he cared for be destroyed. To him there wasn't much of a choice and that was the reason he had jumped over there to begin with. He walked over to the tall green beam of light, pointed his phaser at it… and fired.

Data was aware that it was over. He would cease to exist in less than two seconds as the Thalaron chamber began to chain-react and destroy the ship. Still convinced that he had made the right decision, Data closed his eyes and waited for the end to come to him.

But nothing happened.

Data paused and knew very well by the timing in his system that he should no longer exist. The blast should have taken him by now but he was still functioning. He had no idea what was going on.

"Data." a voice suddenly called out to him.

"What is going on?" Data asked. "Am I dead?"

"Far from it my friend." the voice answered. "Open your eyes."

Data had done as he was asked and slowly opened his eyes. It took only a few Mila-seconds for him to realize what had happened. He was no longer aboard the Scimitar and had been transported to another vessel, which would explain why he was still fully functional. While it would have taken a normal person a few moments to realize what had happened, Data's positronic brain required much less time to figure out where he was. He had only been on this vessel once before but that had been a very, very long time ago. He turned around and saw someone else he had also not seen in many years: Tam Elbrun.

"Welcome back Data." Tam said as he walked over and placed a friendly hand on the antroid's shoulder. "It's good to see you again."

"How did you know I was in distress?" Data asked.

"This was not my doing." Tam said as he strolled around the bridge. "During your brief visit here, it appears you made quite an impression on Gomtuu. Enough of one where it became too much for us to stand by and do nothing while you met your demise."

"I do not understand." Data replied said as he lowered his phaser and put it back into its holster. "How did you have advance knowledge of what would happen?"

Tam Elbron cracked a sly grin. "We have been keeping an eye on you for quite some time Data. Well Gomtuu has been doing that for quite some time now and we had no intention of taking you away from the ship until it was truly your time to go. When we discovered when that time was, we swooped in at the very last moment and transported you here just before the Scimitar exploded."

"Why?" Data asked.

"We like you, Data." Tam said with a hint of affection in his voice. "And the thought of allowing fate to take you away from this universe repulsed Gomtuu and I greatly. You are too unique to let go so easily."

"I have to be returned to the Enterprise." Data ordered. "That is where I belong."

"We can't do that." Tam replied. "It was where you belonged. As far as everyone is concerned, you perished on the Scimitar. We cannot mess with time and space like that Data. Your sudden reappearance in public would bring some unwanted attention to Gomtuu and I and we can't have that. The price for your rescue is to become a permanent member of our crew, unless you prefer we send you back to the Scimitar?"

"No." Data quickly answered as he began to analyze how he had responded thus far to his rescue. "I appreciate the efforts you and Gomtuu have made on my behalf."

"You're welcome my friend." Tam said as he relaxed. There was a loud rumbling and suddenly a second chair rose out of Gomtuu's floor beside Tam's own spot. "Have a seat, Data."

Data paused for a moment, unaware of what he should do. Even thought he Betazoid could not read his head, it was obvious to him what was going on. "Data, this was your time to move on. We just decided to transfer you to a location that was more convenient for you than death. Life is going to carry one just fine without you, but Gomtuu and I need you here now."

Data didn't like the idea of being on Gomtuu, the alien vessel known to the federation as 'Tin Man' for the remainder of his days, but the android had to accept what Tam said was right: life had moved on without him. It was his fate to no longer be on the Enterprise and that was his doing. He shouldn't be upset at Tam and Gomtuu for expanding that life a little longer even if it was going to take him from the Federation and his friends. Data paused for a moment and then walked over to the other chair, and sat down.

As Data took a seat, Tam looked over at him. "I need to ask you about something Data."

"What would you like to know?" Data returned with a question of his own.

"When you fired your phaser at the Thalaron chamber and destroyed the ship." Tam started. "I was surprised by the last thing you did just seconds before you were supposed to perish: you closed your eyes."

"Why would that surprise you?" Data asked him.

"It was the last thing I expected you to do before your expected demise." Tam observed. "It was a very human response to one's mortality."

"Thank you." Data suddenly said.

"Our pleasure." Tam said as he smiled. "And welcome aboard."


	2. Chapter 2

While life onboard the creature known as Tinman was going to be quite the challenge, Data had accepted the fact that their actions were with the best of intentions. It was apparent to everyone that Data was to have been destroyed, and rather than let that happen, Tam and Tinman decided to step in and give the android what Commander Riker would always refer to as 'burrowed time' well beyond what he was supposed to claim. It wasn't like the two had kidnapped Data from the Enterprise for no reason what so ever, they plucked him out of a situation that in turn saved him from being incinerated. Data was prepared to do what as necessary, not only for his Captain and the crew of the Enterprise but for the Federation. As far as the crew was concerned, Data had made the ultimate sacrifice to make sure the enemy was destroyed and the ship was saved. A sacrifice that impressed both Tam and Tinman to the point where they felt the need to step in and prevent the universe from losing in Tam's humble opinion a great being.

"What are you thinking about Data?" Tam asked with a smile on his face. He rarely got to ask the question due to his advanced telepathic abilities.

"I am thinking about how ungrateful I've been." Data answered.

"How so?" Tam inquired, curious himself about what was going through the android's artificial mind.

"You and Tinman took the time to rescue me from a terrible situation." Data began to explain. "And yet for some reason all I can think about is how I will never return and the friends I will miss. I feel like I am being rude to you for not being grateful for the fact that you saved me from being destroyed."

"Data, Data, Data." Tam said as he started to pace around the room. "What you are expressing is perfectly normal, by human standards that is."

"I do not understand." Data replied.

"This is what many refer to as loyalty. It's a trait that is very admirable on many worlds." Tam said as he walked over and sat down in his custom made chair. "You are feeling awkward because you are walking away from the life you knew with the Federation. You are loyal to your Captain and your crew. That is actually something I admire in you Data; your unwavering loyalty. Gomtuu and I hope maybe one day we will have earned that same loyalty from you."

"Perhaps." Data concurred. "But returning to the Enterprise is not an option?"

"Not at the moment, Data." Tam said as he began to pace again. "If you were to return from what was an inescapable situation, there will be questions and of course we would be obvious suspects and that would draw unwanted attention to both Gomtuu and I, especially from the Romulins."

"I understand." Data said as he began to realize what risk they took to step in and bring him out of danger. "Thank you for saving me. I apologize if I seem ungrateful."

"No apology necessary, Data." Tam said as a grin spread across his face. "We are happy to have the company, especially Gomtuu."

"Why is that?" Data asked.

"Not something I want to talk about right now." Tam said as he then decided to quickly change the subject. "You need to tell me more Data. How is Deanna doing?"

"Well, she got married a few months ago." Data started.

"Married?" Tam said as he thought about it for a moment. "It was with Riker, wasn't it?"

"That is correct." Data confirmed. "It was a very nice ceremony."

"I'm sure it was." Tam agreed, "But I don't do very well at social gatherings, especially when people's thoughts get out of hand after consuming too much Romulin Ale. Still, I'm very happy for her. I could tell those two were meant for one another. It's nice to see fate finally step in and push things along."

"And what about the Captain?" Tam asked with eagerness. "Did he finally scrounge up the courage to confess himself to the good doctor?"

Data was taken back by the statement. "I am a little offended that you would peek into the private lives of…"

"I'm sorry Data." Tam said as began to pace again. "When I'm onboard a ship as large as the Enterprise, it was impossible to shut out everyone's thoughts and sometimes I am given intel that I had no intention of seeking out. I didn't do it on purpose, I swear."

Data paused for a moment. "I believe you."

"This is why I like you so much Data, with no emotions you're the perfect person for me and Gomtuu to hang around with." Tam said as he was as gleeful as a child with a new toy on Christmas morning.

"I have experienced emotions since the last time we spoke." Data confessed.

Tam paused for a moment. "How was that possible?"

"I met with my maker, Dr. Zeum." Data began to explain. "He had constructed a chip that would allow me to finally feel emotions."

"But I can't sense or read anything from you Data." Tam replied.

"I removed the chip a few weeks ago to conduct diagnostics with Jordi." Data answered. "We were also working on another android that was more complete than I was and I wanted to compare the make up of our emotion chips to see what differences where were. Since the chip is still onboard the Enterprise, I cannot feel anything at the moment."

"That must have been scary." Tam began as he passed and analyzed this new information at the same time. "You must have felt like a fish out of water with that activated."

"For a time I did feel out of place, but I was learning to work with it." Data answered.

"And yet in the end, you displayed emotion without the presence of your chip." Tam declared with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Data asked.

"Self-sacrifice." Tam answered. "That unwavering urge to put the needs of others above your own needs. I realize you didn't feel a real emotion in your head, but I believe your actions were emotional rather than your thoughts."

"I do not understand." Data said as he thought about it.

"Tell me Data." Tam started. "Why did you not allow your Captain to destroy the ship?"

"I did not want to see him perish." Data replied.

"Why not?" Tam asked.

"He's a very valuable member of Starfleet." Data answered. "To lose him would have been a substantial loss to our ranks."

"That might work for a Vulcan, Data." Tam retorted, "But that's not going to fly with me. I want the real reason, the truth. You didn't like Picard die that day because you cared. You didn't let that ship fire on the ship because you cared about everyone there, from spot all the way to the grumpy Klingon. You care about them a great deal and made a decision based on emotion and loyalty, not logic."

"It is possible." Data concurred.

"You have no idea what this means!" Tam interrupted, "For centuries many cultures on countless planets claimed that someone without emotions was incapable of being good. That they lacked the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. Your lack of emotions according to them should have led you to a life of evil, but that's not the way you act. You make selfless acts for the benefit of others even though you have the emotional equivalent of a sociopath."

"So what you are trying to tell me." Data replied, "Is that it takes more than just thoughts to show emotions."

"That's right Data." Tam agreed, "A famous earth saying is that actions speak louder than words. Your actions spoke volumes not only to your Captain and crew, but likely to the entire federation as well. They do not sound like someone who was without emotion when making such a selfless act."

"Perhaps." Data acknowledged.

"You're our guest for the time being." Tams said as he motioned to the second chair that popped out of the floor of Gomtuu's bridge. "Is there anyplace you've always wanted to visit?"


End file.
